Big-game nerves? Harbaugh says 49ers embrace big stage

NEW ORLEANS — The big news to come out of Jim Harbaugh’s first news conference in New Orleans?

The coach probably won’t be channeling Bill Walsh circa 1982 and dressing up as a bellhop to lighten the mood leading up the Super Bowl. Asked if he planned to any Walsh-esque stunts to ease any big-game nerves, Harbaugh indicated his team embraces such situations.

In other words, no need to drum up some levity.

“(Safety) Dashon Goldson had a quote on our quote board about two and a half weeks ago that ‘We get fresher under pressure,’” Harbaugh said. “That bodes well for us.”

If there was a theme to Harbaugh’s initial Q&A it was that his team has been here before. Well, sort of. Harbaugh referenced the fact that the 49ers have had near week-longs stays in Youngstown, Ohio, the past two years when they played back-to-back road games. Each time, they arrived in Youngstown on Sunday night, as they did tonight for the Super Bowl. The Ravens will arrive at 4 p.m. local time Monday.

“I think it’s a good thing that we’ve done this, really the last two years,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve stayed in a hotel, had our meetings in a hotel and then go to a facility to practice and get ready for the game. Same approach as always, really. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the preparation. I think that’s what our team enjoys the most, the practice, the meetings and especially the competition. Gearing up for the competitive nature of a football game, a championship game. Very excited about it.”

Here’s the full transcript of Harbaugh’s news conference:

(On the benefits of having Colin Kaepernick making his first road start in the Superdome)

“What are the benefits? He’s played in this stadium, just as all our team has. I don’t know how much of an advantage that is. I can’t really put an advantage quota on it.”

(On if he tried to keep the routine normal this week before coming to New Orleans)

“Not to go into the plan of what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish, we got a good idea. It’s what we’ve done and it’s been successful so far. Our team has been really focused on winning, focused on the unity of the team. I think it’s really genuine. I think it’s the best focus on unity and winning that I’ve ever seen or been a part of. This week, we tried to make it like a normal week, being here on Sunday, in the city starting Monday like it’s a week leading up to a Sunday game is our plan.”

(On playing for Coach George Seifert and what he learned)

“Quite a bit. It was a real pleasure to work with George Seifert, to get a chance to know him. I didn’t get on the field that year. One of the great things was being able to meet Greg Roman, who was an assistant offensive line coach at the time. I was just so impressed with his knowledge of football and the kind of guy he was. We struck up a very good friendship within the first couple weeks I was there. I made friends right off the bat. Later, getting a chance to work with him was a real great thing for us.”

(On if he has spoken to any other Super Bowl coaches to get any insight on how to prepare for Super Bowl week and what the special challenges are being a first time Super Bowl coach)

“No real in depth types of things. I had a short conversation with Bill Cowher when he was out interviewing some of our players. I was on a radio show the other day and John Madden was on as well-a couple short comments as well. (The challenge is) that you haven’t done it before. Its uncharted waters for a rookie Super Bowl coach, but that’s exciting too. We have a great thrill and great desire to be in uncharted waters. Our coaches and our players have always relished that and strived in that type of environment.”

(On coaching a franchise that has never lost a Super Bowl and his plans for working with the team this week)

“There is a great 49er history with our team and we’re proud of that. As far as working during the week, meetings, practices and that will be our focus each day. There will be weight lifting involved tomorrow and meetings and practices.”

(On Bill Walsh dressing up as a bell man before his first Super Bowl and if he sees any need to add some levity for his players and if they need anything to ease the pressure)

“Dashon Goldson had a quote on our quote board about two and a half weeks ago that ‘We get fresher under pressure.’ That bodes well for us.”

(On what he recalls about the 49ers and their dominance in the 80s)

“What I remember, I played against some of those teams. As you described, dominant. The organization has a tremendous history and we’re very proud of it. This is new business and our team is focused on winning a championship.”

(On how much of himself does he see in Colin Kaepernick in terms of his attitude and passion for the game)

“I shared this with some of our beat writers a week and a half ago, but it’s true. It’s a true story. When Colin is running and the stride that he has, the gracefulness with his stride, the ground that he covers, how fast and quick he is reminds me of myself. Then I wake up. But when I dream and have visions of how I run personally, it’s the way Colin runs.”

(On how important Trent Baalke has been to the makeup of the team)

“Very important. A key integral member. It’s a team effort. We’ve always said that. Everyone does a little and it adds up to be a lot. That’s been our approach.”

(on if he has been to a Super Bowl before and if so, what was his experience like) “Yes, I have attended Super Bowls in the past. For example, the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers two years ago. I was at this Super Bowl in New Orleans when San Francisco played Denver and there might have been one other one along the way. There might have been a couple other ones.”

(on him being a gutsy quarterback when he played in the NFL) “Can you spread the word on that a little? Can you get that out? Try not to keep that to yourself. I appreciate it.”

(on whether he ever second-guessed himself after replacing Alex Smith with Colin Kaepernick) “Alex had played a lot more than two good games. He had played 26, 28 really good games. I thought it was a unique situation. Viewed it that way when it happened. My experience had always been that when it comes to playing the best quarterback, or playing the quarterback with the hot hand, it was choosing between two guys that were struggling, at least in my own personal experience. That was far from the case that we were looking at at the time. Two quarterbacks that were playing extremely well. Made the decision that we thought was best for our team.”

(On whether he will allow Colin Kaepernick to make his own reads or if he will develop specific plays for him and the running game)

“First of all, I wouldn’t categorize Colin as a read-option quarterback, for starters. Then, to answer your question, all of those things would be possibilities. We’d love for our opponent to consider them all. Colin is extremely talented at the read-option, he’s extremely talented throwing the football as well. There are a lot of options we could go.”

(On whether he considers this week as a distraction to the players)

“I think it’s a good thing that we’ve done this, really the last two years. We’ve stayed in a hotel, had our meetings in a hotel and then go to a facility to practice and get ready for the game. Same approach as always, really. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the preparation. I think that’s what our team enjoys the most, the practice, the meetings and especially the competition. Gearing up for the competitive nature of a football game, a championship game. Very excited about it.”

(On what led him to decide to stick with most of the players that were there when he was named head coach)

“Just watching the tape. One conversation at a time with the players, getting to know them. We realized that we had a lot of character and we had a lot of talent.”

(On whether he had talked to his brother about one day meeting in the Super Bowl)

“No, not as kids. At Gettysburg (during the lockout), our conversations about facing each other were the November 25th game that we knew was on the schedule, the Thanksgiving game.”

(On how much credit he gives Colin Kaepernick for being the difference maker)

“It’s been a team effort. Feel like there’s a lot of people that have a lot of fingerprints on this team’s success. Like I said, the team has been focused on the unity of the team and on winning better than any team I’ve ever seen or been around. Really credit that to the men in the locker room. They enjoy each other’s company. They like being around each other and they like competing. They hold themselves to a high standard in terms of that. Colin’s play has been outstanding. He deserves tremendous amount of credit for that. He, like the rest of the guys on the team, are focused on the opportunity to play and win a championship.”

(On whether he scheduled all the way up to the Super Bowl when planning in the offseason)

“You definitely have a plan. You also have a feel, as well. Really, both of those things were at work.”

(On what Patrick Willis has meant to the team)

“So much, Patrick Willis means to our team. He’s part of the fabric of the character of the defense and of the team. Very humble person. There are two kinds of people: the people that get the job done, and the people that want to take credit for getting the job done. It’s far less competitive in the second case. Patrick Willis is certainly a get-the-job-done type of guy. That just influences, and the rest of the team feed off of that.”

(On why he decided not to play it safe and start Colin Kaepernick)

“I described it in my own personality, we did what we thought was best for the team. We did what we thought would give us the best chance to win games. That’s my personality.”